-------- Original message --------
   From: Douglas Lucas <dal@riseup.net>
   Date: 4/24/18 2:11 PM (GMT-08:00)
   To: cypherpunks@lists.cpunks.org
   Subject: Re: Juggalos Joining Libertarians, Mental Sovereignty vs
   Programming,   Burning Miracles

   My understanding is that like all gall, Social Security payments are
   divided into three parts: SSI, SSDI, and retirement benefits. Sometimes
   people think of SSDI as retirement benefits for those forced,
   pressured,
   or opting to retire early by disability qualification/identification,
   and SSI is available to many more but the payments are low, not enough
   to live on autonomously without participation in covert economies or
   gray market economies.
   A full SSI payment today is $981, more than many folks, including my,
   retirement benefit check. At 65 my retirement benefits, about 1/2 of
   minimum wage at the time my paycheck employment ended, will be brought
   up to that amount by supplementing it from the SSI fund. That fund is
   also a slush fund for certain people who are 'damaged' but not eligible
   for SSDI, like drug and alcohol casualties, who USED TO get SSDI, but
   are no longer eligible (the ones already on disability were
   'grandfathered'). The thing about SSI is it's mutability. It's derived
   from the SS trust but there's nothing requiring it by law... meaning it
   could vanish and the funds allocated to other uses.

   Rr
   As many probably know, under US taxes freelancers today pay into
   retirement benefits, which are only available to recoup if you've
   served
   the overt economy enough for 40 "work credits". These same 40 come up
   if
   a freelancer asks for a social security statement for purposes of,
   e.g.,
   estimating SSDI payments. Some individuals qualified as disabled get
   both SSDI and SSI, some only get one or the other. Today.
   https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10022.pdf
   I don't know exactly what this was like in Rand's day, nor how she got
   paid royalties or advances for Fountainhead, the Gary Cooper movie
   based
   on it, etc. Seems like she liked money enough to live in NYC for much
   of
   her life. But, Rand's husband wanted to paint and drank himself to
   death, is the prevailing story out of the Nathaniel Branden Institute
   faction etc. So there's that. I assume the Ayn Rand Institute guards
   Rand's business contracts etc. That funny story about Peikoff trying to
   get back the Fountainhead manuscript pages he donated to the gubment
   because of his choice of words, "stealing" some of the pages etc.
   Razer wrote:
   > She was a welfare slut more than any Teenage Immigrant Welfare Mother
   > On Drugs, who never had a chance to have best-seller books that must
   > have  made her millions. She was a hypocritical luzer, just like all
   > Libertarians. Deluded, hypocritical, lying to themselves and others,
   > luzers.
   This is difficult for me to parse, sounds like misogyny, except I
   assume
   there's some sarcasm/irony embedded that may make sense to you if not
   others.
   Razer wrote:
   > SSI is paid to impoverished people who never worked a day in their
   > lives once they turn 65 for instance, or to people who drug/alcohol
   > damage themselves, can't work, and never got enough quarters of work
   > in to qualify for retirement benefits.
   For "never worked a day in their lives", define work. Is straightening
   up one's home and volunteering for Food Not Bombs 'work' according to
   Razer?
   Douglas
   On 04/23/18 12:57, Razer wrote:
   >
   >
   > On 04/22/2018 10:21 PM, Douglas Lucas wrote:
   >> I hate Ayn Rand but this frequently cited fact -- that she took
   social
   >> security payments -- is often cited to allegedly prove her
   hypocrisy. But
   >> her argument was, the government stole from her
   >
   >
   > It doesn't appear that she ever actually paid into the retirement
   system
   > as a wage earner or by voluntary contribution.
   >
   > SSI is paid to impoverished people who never worked a day in their
   lives
   > once they turn 65 for instance, or to people who drug/alcohol damage
   > themselves, can't work, and never got enough quarters of work in to
   > qualify for retirement benefits. My meager retirement check will be
   > supplemented with SSI when I turn 65.
   >
   > According to FACT she took the money at the insistence of close
   > acquaintances to keep her from going broke due to her medical bills.
   > That's SSDI, again, NOT money derived for an individual's payment
   into
   > the system.
   >
   > She was a welfare slut more than any Teenage Immigrant Welfare Mother
   On
   > Drugs, who never had a chance to have best-seller books that must
   have
   > made her millions. She was a hypocritical luzer, just like all
   > Libertarians. Deluded, hypocritical, lying to themselves and others,
   luzers.
   >
   > Rr
   >